Just moments ago, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 5430 with a bi-partisan vote of 89-10. The U.S. House had already voted 385 to 41 to approve the USMCA on December 19, 2019. Now, the deal awaits President Trump’s signature and Canada’s approval.
The membership of North American Strategy for Competitiveness (NASCO), consisting of industry, government, and academia from across North America, would like to congratulate the United States Congress for their ratification of the USMCA / CUSMA / T-MEC! The agreement will benefit all North Americans, and will ensure our continent’s competitiveness and dominance in the global marketplace for years to come.
Thank you to the countless North American subnational government representatives, industry leaders, trade associations, academia, research organizations and individuals who tirelessly worked to educate our US Congressional members on the benefits of a trilateral trade agreement and insist on its ratification.
And, we would like to thank the three federal government agencies and administration officials for representing their countries’ needs and requirements in the USMCA / CUSMA / T-MEC with strength, patience and grace.
The negotiation process has not been for the faint of heart, and we, at NASCO, are beyond thrilled to see partisan politics put aside to do what is right for the future of all North Americans.
We applaud, and are grateful for, the efforts of so many to ensure this iconic trilateral trade agreement is ratified and goes into effect.
It is, however, an agreement. We must not be complacent. We must work every day to insist North American governments and industry ACT on the platform provided by the new USMCA / CUSMA / T-MEC. We must continue to develop the relationships, trust, respect, shared ideas and opportunities to ensure our North American continent is the most competitive trading block on earth – and the benefits and prosperity are understood and realized by every North American.
NASCO has always been hard at work moving North America forward, and we are more committed than ever to our objectives and partnerships. We look forward to doing our part to turn the newly enacted agreement into positive, lasting, tangible results for our continent.
Congratulations, North America! Let’s get to work.